Steam-cooker.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.'

ATEN BOWMAN I-IOVVER, OF LOGAN, UTAH.

STvEANl-COOKER.

SPECIFlCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 691,380, dated January 21, 1902.

- Application filed April l5, 1901.

To all whom t may concern.'

.Beit known that I, ATEN BowMAN Ho WER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Logan, county of Cache,"State of Utah, have invented certain new `and useful Improvements in Steam-Cookers, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Y Figure lis a perspective View; Fig. 2, a Vertical sectionalfview of a cooking apparatus provided with myimprovements 5 Fig. 3, a vertical section of the apparatus packed for shipment; Fig. 4, a perspective view in detail of the under side of the removablesupportingring, and Fig. 5 a detail section showing one of the valves for closing thev steamLopenings in the ring.

The main object of this invention is to pro- Vide an efficient steam cooking apparatus whose parts are adapted to be separated and packed or nested in the main or water section for compactness in shipping and storage and which shall be capable of easy erection.

The invention has other minor objects in view, which shall appear in the course of this specication. Y

Referring to the drawings by reference characters, a designates the inain or water section, which is adaptedv to rest upon thestove. Fitting within the rim of this section is a supporting-ring b, provided with a iiange c to properly center it, and within this ring fits the lowermost section of a seriesv of cooking yvessels (numbered l, 2, 3, and 4) superposed one upon the other. The lower section 1 is provided near its upper edge with an outwardextending bead or ange d, which rests upon the inner edge of ring b and supports the section at the proper height within the watersection, and to provide for the ingress of steam into this section it is provided with an opening e at a point a little below the bead d.

The section 2 fits within the rim of section 1, and so on, each section having its lower end fitting within the section next below and being supported therein by a bead or flange similar to the flange d on the lowermost section. Within the upper section is preferably placed a removable false bottom f, and a cover Serial No. 55,909.v (No model.)

g is provided for this section. Steam is supplied to sections 2, 3, and 4 by means of a series of external pipes h, whose lower ends eX- tend through respective openings in the ring b, and whose other ends are provided with elbows which enter the respective sections through openings formed in them near their respective upper ends. The two longest pipes h are formed each of two detachable telescoping sections. These tubes h are made independently detachable, so that thesteam may be cut off from any one of the sections without interfering with the remaining sections by simply detaching the tube connecting the particularl section to the steam-space. To close the opening in ring b when one of the pipes h is removed, any suitable closure device may be employed; but I prefer to use some device that will automatically close the opening when the pipe isYremoved--as, for instance, a small spring-valve t', as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, thisvalve being fastened to the under side of the'ring and adapted to be pushed away from the opening by the end of the pipe when the same is inserted.

As will be observed, each of the sections l, 2, 3, and 4 tapers upward and also the sections increase in size upward, the lowest section being smaller than the section next above, the second being smaller than the third section, and thethir'd vsection` being smaller than the top section. The object'of thus elnploying tapering sections andi'naking them of different sizes is that theyvma'ybe nested for shipment,"the third section being placed in the top section, the second section within the third,land the'first within the second, andl in order that Ythese sections thus nested may be placed within the Water-section the. sup-p IOC .burning the food a remote contingency.

are placed within the water-section the cover g will rest upon the top of the sections, and the ring h will be in place upon the rim water-section.

In order to adapt the coverg to each of the sections, so that a less number than the entire stack of four may be employed whenever it is desirable to do so, the cover is provided near its edge with a series of concentric grooves 7c in its upper and lower face, each one of these grooves being adapted to t down over the rim of one of the cooking-sections. The cover is adapted to be reversed, so that the grooves on both sides may be utilized, and it is preferably providediwith a folding ring-handle l upon its upper as well as its lower side, so that it maybe readily handled whichever side is uppermost.

A filling-funnel m is removably inserted through an opening in ring b, the stem of this funnel being preferably made detachable for convenience in packing and long enough to extend to a point within an inch or so of the bottom of the water-section, so that its lower end will be water-sealed until the water is nearly exhausted from the water-section. The funnel is provided with a hinged lid fn, which is provided with a whistle o, this latter serving to sound an alarm when the water in the watersection gets so low as to permit the steam to pass up through the funnel. This low-water alarm is of a special value in that it avoids the necessity of removing these sections during the cooking, operating to ascertain the quantity of water remaining in the water-section, and it renders the danger of It will be observed', further, that by thus arranging the steam-pipes exterior to the cooking vessels and makingthem detachable the cooking-sections may be manufactured at less expense than where the steam-conducting tubes are fastened permanently to the interior or exterior of the vessels, it being possible with my improvements to construct these sections each out of a single plate of metal pressed into shape, it being a simple matter to cut openings for the steam-inlets either before or after the sheet is pressed into shape 5 secondly, the sections are more easily and quickly adjusted to each other; thirdly, thus putting steam-pipes on the outside and making them detachable renders not only the pipes but the sections easier to keep clean and in perfect sanitary condition; fourthly, thus making the steam-pipes separate from each-other and rendering them detachable separately enables the steam to be cut o from any one or all of the sections at any time without dismantling the apparatus, the sections being allowed to remain in position and the food being kept hot until it is served. It will be observed also that the advantage of making the longer pipes telescopic is that 4they may be readily adjusted to the lower of the sections in case of injury to the pipes espe- .one or more of the grooves being formed in each side or face of the cover, for the purpose set forth.

2. A cooking apparatus, consisting of a water-section, a series of removable steamsections superposed thereon and separable from each other, each of said sections being smaller than the one next above it and the top or larger section being smaller than the water-section, and means for removably supporting the lower, smaller section within the water section, whereby the steam sections may be nested within each other in reverse order and the sections thus nested inclosed within the water-section, for the purpose set forth.

3. In combination with a Water-section and a removable supporting-ring tted therein, of a series of cooking-sectionssuperposed and made separable, the lower section being supported within said ring and the sections above supported one within the other, all of said sections being tapered downward and each section being larger than theone next below it, and means for conveying steam to the various cooking-sections.

' 4. In combination with a water vessel, and a series of superposed cooking-sections, of steam-pipes entering the water vessel through steam-openings and communicating with the various cooking-sections and made detachable independently, and means for automatically closing the steam-openings when said pipes are removed from the water-section.

5. In a steam cooking apparatus, the combination of a water-section, and a series of superposed steam-sections resting thereon and being separately detachable and each provided with an opening near its top, and a series of external detachable pipes connecting the steam-spaces of the respective steamsections, the upper ends of said pipes being provided with elbows which are inserted in said openings in the respective steam-sections, the longer ones of said pipes being each constructed of telescoping sections.

6. In a steam cooking apparatus, the combination of a water-section and a steam-section superposed thereon, a steam-pipe connecting the water-section to said steam-section, the lower end of said pipe entering said IIO water-section and being beveled at its lower signature, in the presence of two witnesses, end, and an automatic valve in the interior this 1st day of April, 1901. of the water-section bearnfr normally affainst the beveled end of said pige and adapaed to ATEN BOWMAN HOWER 5 close the pipe in the Water-section when the Witnesses:

pipe is Withdrawn. S. J. FINCH,

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiix my L. DENHAM. 

